NSG Completes Pilkington Acquisition; No Changes Expected for North America

The acquisition of Pilkington plc by Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd. (NSG) was finalized on June 16, making Pilkington a member of the NSG Group.

Under terms of the acquisition, Pilkington will remain the primary brand name and logo for the new flat glass business. No disruption to operations worldwide is expected and current Pilkington management will continue to run the Pilkington business.

NSG has confirmed that all existing employment rights of Pilkington employees, including pension rights, will remain intact.

“NSG with Pilkington produces a world leader of scale in the global flat glass industry. Employing 36,000 people, the enlarged company will have annual sales of around £4 billion (approximately $7.3 billion USD), manufacturing operations in 26 countries and sales in more than 130 countries, with ownership or interests in 50 float glass manufacturing lines worldwide and a widened automotive customer base,” said Yozo Izuhara, chairperson and chief executive officer of
NSG.

Richard Altman, president of Pilkington Building Products North America in Toledo, Ohio, told USGlass magazine he expects operations to continue the same.

“We expect very little change at this point in time,” he said. “We will still operate under the name of Pilkington here in North America.”

ProTemp Glass Licenses DecoTherm Technology
DecoTherm has announced a licensing agreement with ProTemp Glass to produce and market its digital, ceramic-frit glass decoration technology. Based in Concord, Ontario, ProTemp will supply DecoTherm custom decorative glass to glaziers and glass shops in Ontario.

ProTemp joins Arch Deco Glass in City of Industry, Calif., and Oldcastle Glass in Louisville, Ky., as the exclusive providers of
DecoTherm.

GANA Expands With Addition of Decorative Division
The board of directors of the Glass Association of North America (GANA) has created a new decorative division, which becomes the group’s seventh division. The new division will be the residence for member companies involved with a decorative glazing product, including acid-etched, silk-screening, multi-colored and printed interlayers and more.

“GANA has seen phenomenal growth in the past four years,” said Ashley Charest, GANA’s account executive. “We have increased our membership by more than 25 percent in that time, and the new decorative division is the result of responding to the requests of both members and non-members within the industry who felt that GANA could make a difference in the decorative glass industry.”

The first official meeting of the new division will take place as a part of GANA’s Fall Conference, scheduled for September 20-22, 2006, at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The organizational meeting of the division will be held on Tuesday, September 19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N245. The meeting will last from 4-5 p.m., with a free reception afterwards.

USGlass Magazine to Give Away Laptop at GlassBuild America 2006

Stop by the USGlass booth at GlassBuild America 2006, taking place September 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and you might just leave with a laptop computer.

All visitors to the booth will be invited to participate in a “thank you” drawing for a free business laptop and a number of other gifts.

“It’s just our way of saying ‘thanks’ to our readers,” said Debra Levy, publisher of USGlass magazine. “Visitors should be sure to stop by booth 724.”